They Aren't Waiting For Last Calls Louisiana Trucks Take Road North

BURAS, LA. — Trucks jammed with furniture and boxes of clothes streamed north on State Road 23 Wednesday as residents fled their Gulf Coast homes.

''I've got enough sense to know this one could be bad,'' said Charlie Jeffcoat, 47, sweat pouring from his balding forehead as he packed up in the afternoon sun.

Like many residents of Buras, a small fishing town 90 minutes south of New Orleans, Jeffcoat was taking everything he could and heading north -- away from Hurricane Gilbert.

His red and white Ford pickup, plus trucks owned by his girlfriend and oldest son, were stuffed with bed frames and other household goods. He also was taking his two dogs and two horses.

''We're hoping the house will be here when we get back,'' said Jeffcoat, a salesman.

He has lost two homes to hurricanes, the last to Camille in 1969. Camille leveled Buras and left behind about 6 feet of water.

Gilbert could be worse, Jeffcoat and his neighbors figured.

Even if Gilbert skirts the area, Jeffcoat figured high winds could still cause plenty of trouble.

Farther south in Venice, at the tip of a small peninsula that juts into the Gulf, fishermen were pulling boats from inlets and harbors to take them to high ground.

''We've got 107 slips and only 15 boats left,'' said Dave Ballay. He and his wife, Debbie, own and operate Venice Marina.

When Hurricane Florence and its 80 mph winds came through last weekend, all the boats stayed, as did most residents.

''It's been unreal around here this time,'' said Debbie Ballay, 38.

A Buras city inspector, Corby Acosta, said more than 15,000 of the 26,000 people in the area would leave by Friday.

Before leaving, people covered windows of homes and businesses with plywood and tape.

''We don't take chances,'' said James Hines, 19, a shrimper.

Hines had boarded up a flower shop run by his wife, Suzette, 20. They were about to hop in their pickup and head out on S.R. 23, a winding road with the Mississippi River to the east and marshland to the west.